The Troupe

Robin Dawn Cherry

Ruth Yeo introduced Robin Dawn to Playback Theater Northwest (PTN) while they worked on Trees InThe Window” by Lois Mackey. Robin Dawn has appeared in several independent films (F) as well as on Television (Grimm NBC) and corporate videos (Boeing and Microsoft).

Now a member of PTN, Robin Dawn has come to appreciate improvisational theater in a new way. She enjoys using PTN short and long forms to perform the story and give a voice to the teller. It is so healing for both actor and audience and very empowering. Theater is Robin’s first love and she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, School of Drama. Robin Dawn has performed in several community theaters in Los Angeles and Seattle as a teaching artist (TA), stage manager (SM) and/or actor (A) that include:

Northwest African American Museum (SM), Book-It Repertory Theatre (TA, SM, A), Fringe Wilmington (SM), George Center for Community (A), Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (A, F), Mae West Festival (A), Moore Theatre (A) , ReAct Theater (A), Rebirth Drama Company (A), Seattle Fringe Festival (A), Seattle Repertory (TA) and Tacoma Actors Guild (TA, A).

Harold Costa, Jr

Harold Costa, Jr. joined Playback Theater Northwest in 1994 and rebuilt the entire troupe in 1996. He became the President and Co-Artistic Director stepping down in Jan of 2005 pursuing his spiritual direction as a Minister at the Center for Spiritual Living. He returned as the President and Co-Artistic Director in 2009. He was born and raised in Hawaii and is a graduate of the University of Washington in Business Administration. He has been involved with theater since 1975 and his acting credits include many stage plays, movies and TV extra roles for Paramount, Warner Brothers, FOX and NBC. He now lives in the Sandpoint area of Seattle and is known for his warm heart and Polynesian smile.  He is also blessed to have two incredible children, Daniel & Grace.

Dora Lanier

Dora Lanier is a Seattle-based actor, teaching artist and director with over 15 years of experience in the field of theatre. Dora began her journey with Playback Theatre Northwest in February 2007. An active improv artist, Dora has “played” along with It’s a Mystery on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train, Capital City Mystery Players in Austin, Texas and the Gender Bender Project in Madison, Wisconsin. Other current improv projects include working with various health professionals, lawyers, police officers and State of Washington social workers in improvisational role-plays for training purposes. A native of Tomah, Wisconsin, Dora received her M.F.A. in acting, voice and movement from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Kestrel Rundle

Kestrel Rundle is a native of the beautiful Methow Valley in central Washington, where she first studied theatre, dance, voice and piano. She moved to Seattle in 2009, after receiving her BA in English Literature from Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY, where she studied playback theatre with Hannah Fox. Kestrel has performed leading roles in numerous plays and musicals, but her favorites include Guys and Dolls, Carousel, Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, Bernstein’s Candide, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and Julius Caesar, and Steel Magnolias. Kestrel is thrilled to once again hear and perform stories as a member of Playback Theater Northwest!

Ruth Yeo-Peterman

“Change the name and it’s about you, that story” – Horace

Ruth Yeo-Peterman finds that her love for story goes back to the people who tell them. She believes in the importance of storytelling, and the power of the arts in all its forms, for building connections through a shared witnessing of stories and human experience. She is blessed to have heard, and shared in, many incredible stories throughout her years growing up in Singapore and South Africa. In 2009, she moved to Seattle from Boston upon the completion of her MA in Expressive Arts Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. Ruth serves as a community arts consultant with Silver Kite Community Arts Consulting and is the director of mental health and program development with Arts Aftercare. Past projects include developing and directing an original performance in South Africa to promote inter generational understanding. She is delighted to continue to honor stories, and the people who share them, as a member of Playback Theater Northwest!